Electronic devices, such as so called palmtop computers, i.e. PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) devices, do not usually have expensive radio modem functions, such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) functions, integrated into one and the same device. This type of devices are often also mobile and, thus, do not have a fixed wire connection to the network. There is, however, an increasing need to access the Internet and/or a local network from such electronic devices.
Bluetooth technology provides an inexpensive way of integrating a radio modem into many electronic devices. However, the range of the Bluetooth link, usually from approximately ten meters to a few hundred meters, does not generally allow an electronic device having a Bluetooth transceiver to reach an access point. An access point refers herein to a device coupled to a desired network, such as the Internet or a local network, such as an Ethernet local area network.
European patent application number EP 00660132.2 discloses an interesting arrangement for communicating user identification data to a wireless communication device. According to the application, a user data identification device to which a user data identification module, such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, is inserted is arranged separate from the wireless communication device. The user data identification module contains the user identification data of the user of the wireless communication device.
The user data identification device and the wireless communication device are connected to each other by means of a local link (e.g. Bluetooth link). Upon switching on the wireless communication device it requests the user identification data from the user data identification device over the local link. The user identification data is sent to the wireless communication device as a response to said request.
Since the user data identification device with its identification module is now implemented as a separate device from the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device can be made smaller. The invention disclosed in the patent application makes it possible for more than one wireless communication device (e.g. a portable computer and a mobile station of the GSM system) to simultaneously fetch the user identification data from the identification module in the user data identification device, in which case the user can even use these different wireless communication devices simultaneously.
European patent application EP 00660132.2 does not, however, provide a solution to the problematic situation, in which the wireless communication device cannot with its short-range connection reach the access point for accessing a desired network.
The wireless communication device may have means for establishing a Bluetooth link, but it may be outside the Bluetooth range from the access point and it may lack other means for establishing a direct connection to the desired network. The other means refer, for instance, to means for establishing a longer-range radio connection to the desired network, in which case a short range refers to a range of approximately ten meters to three hundred meters achieved by a Bluetooth link, for instance, and a longer range refers to a range longer than this. A GSM cellular network connection, for instance, can have a range of over 30 kilometers. Alternatively, the other means only refer to means for establishing a connection to an available network regardless of the range.